Grapple



. F. FLUTO Feb. 12, 1957 GRPPLE Filed April 9, 1956 INVENTOR d Z 1/ nii-'F u ATTORNEY United States Patent O v GRAPPLE Alvin F. Fluto, Wyndmere, N. Dak.

Application April 9, 1956, Serial No. 577,008

6 Claims. (Cl. 294-106) This invention relates to "a novel grapple primarily adapted for engaging tubular elements such as pipe and which is held in a tight gripping engagement with such an element by a pulling or lifting force exerted on an element of the graapple for moving or lifting the element engaged by the grapple.

More particul-arly, it is an aim of the invention to provide a grapple of extremely simple yconstruction which may be very effectively utilized for gripping pipes or conduits such as are employed in constructing a culvert, for pulling the pipe or conduit without the necessity of digging the earth from around the pipe or conduit so that an anchoring chain can be secured therearound.

Another object of the invention is to provide a pipe grapple including pivoted gripping jaws and a lever element to which the pulling or lifting force is applied and by which said force is transmitted through a camming action to the jaws for urging the jaws Itoward a closed position in tight clamping engagement with an element to be pulled -or lifted, so that the greater the pulling or lifting force which is applied, the greater will be the gripping engagement of the grapple with the element `to be pulled or lifted.

Various other objects and advantages of the invention will hereinafter become more fully apparent from the following description of the drawing, illustrating a presently preferred embodiment thereof, and wherein:

Figure l is a side elevational view of the grapple shown in an applied position relative to an element to be pulled thereby and which is shown in longitudinal section;

Figure 2 is an enlarged top plan view of the grapple;

Figure 3 is a longitudinal sectional view thereof, taken substantially along a plane as indicated by the line 3--3 of Figure 2 and showing the grapple in an applied p0- sition, and

Figure 4 is a cross sectional view through the grapple jaws, taken substantially along a plane as indicated by the line 4-4 of Figure 3.

Referring more specically to the drawing, the improved grapple in its entirety and comprising the invention is designated generally 5 and includes a pair of elongated bars 6 and 7 which are pivotally connecte-d to one another intermediate of their ends by a pivot element 8. The bars 6 and 7 have complementary end portions which are offset slightly toward one another -to form clamping jaws 9 and 1li, respectively. The face of the jaw 9 may be slightly rounded convexly in cross section and the face of the jaw 10 may be slightly rounded concavely in cross section, Ias seen in Figure 4, for engaging concave and convex sides, respectively, of la tubular element 11 to be gripped thereby.

The bar 6 is of a thickness substantially greater than the thickness of the bar 7 and is provided with Va slot 12 extending from the end thereof forming the jaw 9 to the opposite end of said bar 6 and which slot 12 is of a width to loosely accommodate a portion of the bar 7 which is swingably disposed therein. The spaced furcations or side walls 13 of the bar 6, which extend from the jaw 9 thereof and form the slot 12, are provided with projections or ears 14 which extend therefrom toward the bar 7. The bar 7 is provided on its inner edge with a projection forming an ear 15 which ts between 4the ears 14 and extends into the slot 12. Said ears 14 and 15 are disposed intermediate of the ends of the bars 6 yand 7 and the pivot element 8 extends therethrough, as best seen in Figure 3.

A lever 16 which is of a length substantially equal to the length of the bars 6 and 7, is provided with a projection 17 extending from one longitudinal edge thereof and which is `disposed nearer the lever end 18 than the lever end 19. The lever end 18 lits loosely into the end of the slot 12 which is located remote from the jaw 9 and said ear 17 is loosely disposed in a portion of the slot 12. A pivot element 20 extends through the walls 13 and loosely through the ear 17 for pivotally connecting the lever 16 to the bar 6. The pivot 20 is disposed between the end of the bar 6 located remote from the jaw 9 and the pivot 8 and adjacent the outer edges of the walls 13 which are located remote from the ears 14 and from the bar 7. Thus, the bar 7 and lever 16 extend into the slot 12 between'the opposite longitudinal edges of the walls 13. The inner edge of the lever end 18 is rounded as seen at 21 "to form a cam portion for engaging the inner longitudinal edge 22 of the end portion 23'of the bar 7, which is located remote from the jaw 10, Iand which edge portion 22 extends into the slot 12 and forms a cam surface to he engaged by the cam portion 21.

An attaching loop 24 is connected to the lever end 19 through an opening 25 therein, in which said loop swingably engages. An end of a line or cable 26 is connected to the loop 24.

The grapple 5 has been illustrated in Figure l applied to a pipe or conduit 11 which is shown embedded in the earth 27 and which may constitute a culvert or a culvert part. Instead of digging out the earth 27 from around an end of the conduit 11, so that a chain can be secured 4around the conduit 11 for pulling the conduit, the jaw end of the bar 7 is pushed into the earth 27 on the outer .side of an end of the conduit 11 and the jaw end of the bar 6 extends into the conduit 11, as seen in Figure l. With the lever end 19 resting against the outer side of the jaw 9, the jaw 10 can be swung to an open position substantially away from the jaw 9 for applying the grapple-5, as illustrated in Figure l. The line or cable 26 extends fromthe loop 24 in a direction generally toward the other lever end 18 but at an angle thereto, as seen in Figure l. When a pull is exerted from left to right as seen in Figure l on the line or cable 26, the lever 16 will be initially rocked clockwise about its pivot 20 for swinging the lever end 13 toward the bar end 23 to move the cam portion 21 into engagement with the cam surface 22. By a camming action between the parts 21 and 22, the bar 7 will be rocked clockwise about its pivot 8 relative to the `bar 6, as seen in Figures l and 3, to swing the jaw 1t) toward the jaw 9 so that a wall portion of the pipe 11 will be clamped between said jaws, as illustrated. Thereafter, by continuing the pull on the line or cable 26 the pipe or conduit 11 can be pulled from the earth 27. The greater the pull applied to the line or cable 26, the greater will be the gripping action applied by the jaws 9 and 19 to the pipe 11. It4 will be obvious that so long as the line or cable 26 is disposed at an angle to the axis of the lever 16, as illustrated in Figure l, that the lever 16 will apply a leverage force to retain the jaws in a gripping position. The lever end 19 is located a great-er distance from the pivot 20 than the lever end 18 so that an adequate leverage force will be exerted by the lever 16, and it will be apparent that this leverage force can be increased by locating the are 1,223

pivot 20 nearer the lever end -18 and further from the lever end-19.

The application and use of the grapple as illustrated and described, constitutes only one preferred use thereof. It will be readily apparent that vthe grappleS mayalso be employedfor pulling or lifting any elementfirrespective of its shapevhaving a wall thickness capable of litting between the jaws 9 and 1% when'said :jaws are `in a fully open position.

-Va'rions modi'cations and changes are contemplated and may obviously be resorted to, .without departing from the function or scope of the invention .as hereinafter defined by theappended claims.

fl claim as my invention;

Vl. A grapple comprising a pair of elongated .bars .including .a rst bar and a second bar, complementary ends of said bars lforming coacting jaws between which an element to be gripped is adapted tobe disposed, means pivotally connecting said bars to one another intermediate of the ends of the bars dfor swinging movement of the jaws toward and away from one another, a lever pivotally connectedto the rst bar between the pivot of said bars and the other end of said tirst bar and at a point spaced from the ends of saidleVer, said lever having a first end located .remote from said jaws and disposed for swinging movement intoand out of engagement with the other end of said second bar, said lever having a second er1-d disposed adjacent said jaws, and means connected .to and extending from sai-d second lever end at an acute angle to the Yaxis of .said lever and on which a pull is adapted to be exertedfor swinging said lever relative to the irst bar for moving the first end of the lever into engagement with said other end of the second bar for swinging the jaw of the second bar toward the jaw of the iirst bar for exerting a leverage force tending to spread said last mentioned bar ends to retain' the jaws in tight gripping engagement with the element disposed therebetween.

2. A grapple as in claim l, said rst bar having a slot disposed in the plane of the second bar and lever in which said other end ofthe second bar and the rst end of the lever are swingably movable for maintaining the second bar and lever coplanar.v

3. A grapple as in claim 2, said .second ,bar having an ear projecting from an inner edge thereof into said slot and through which the pivot of saidbars extends.

4. A grapple as in claim 3, said rst bar having a pair of ears projecting from an inner edge thereof and straddling a portion of said second bar including the ear thereof.

V5. A grapple as in claim l, .said first bar having a slot disposed inthe plane Lof the second bar and lever in which said kother end of the second bar and the `lirst end of the lever are swingably movable for maintaining the second bar and lever coplanar= the portion of said lever through which the lever pivot extends being disposedin said slot.

v6. A grapple as in claim 5, `said rst lever end being disposed nearer the lever pivot than the second lever end.

No ,references cited. 

